Welcome To Maryland Sports Medicine Center

I injured one of my knees playing field hockey and wanted to see someone who was knowledgeable about knee injuries specific to this type of sport given that I had gone through two ACL reconstructions 15 years ago when I did college sports and my knees had gotten progressively worse over the years. Other orthopedics I had seen over time were unhelpful, basically telling me I had two options, to quit sports or get two knee replacement surgeries. Dr. Higgins came to my attention because there was an article about him in a magazine about working with the U.S. Women’s National Field Hockey team and how nice the players thought he was. I figured he was a good person to see given his knowledge base and potentially good bedside manner. When I got to the visit the technician took x-rays of both knees and processed the films before I saw Dr. Higgins. Once I got to see him, he went over my x-rays and reviewed my options for remedying my knee issues. He had a wonderful bedside manner, made me feel completely at ease and reassured me that there were viable options for getting me back to full knee health and that they didn’t need to include surgery if I didn’t want it. He also sent me to get MRIs on both knees for further consideration. Once he got the results of those back, he called me at home in the evening to review them also. At that time I was not able to pursue rehab or surgery because of logistics but do plan on following up with him as my doctor whenever I can fit it in. The only issues I had with dealing with his practice is that first the office staff was not that helpful and friendly when I was there and dealt with them afterwards about billing. The second issue is that despite having a very good health insurance plan, Dr. Higgins was not in my network and required a steep out-of-network copay to see him. It was worth it for me, but it’s something to be aware of before you see him.

This is now the longest that I have gone in the last 25 years without knee surgery. I am in Northern Virginia and still I do go to Maryland to see Dr. Higgins to have him operate on me and to do physical therapy with his physical therapist. I will go wherever I need to go to get the best care I can. He is more of a sports medicine doctor. He is also a former navy doctor and I am a former naval officer. I had a fantastic orthopedic surgeon during my last few years in the navy. He said that he would have only Dr. Higgins work on him if he needed a surgery. I have been going to him since 1999 when I got out of the navy. So they know my history and everything. They recommended the neurosurgeon to me. He has done about six or seven surgeries on me.

I had surgery for a torn rotator cuff. After one day I was already moving my arm (unlike other doctors who want to immobilize the arm for 4-6 weeks), and after a week I was off any pain meds. I was amazed that with the meds he did prescribe, I never had any significant amount of pain even right after the surgery. Physical therapy will continue for many weeks, but I’m seeing improvements almost daily. I have been impressed with every aspect of the treatment.

I had been misdiagnosed by another doctor in California with impingement syndrome, but I went to Dr. Higgins because I was in constant pain. It turned out I had a torn rotator cuff. I was misdiagnosed for 15 years, and it only got worse. It was when someone recommended him, and I went to him. He suggested we be on the safer side and have an MRI, and it turned out that that is what it was. He had a cancellation 2 days later, and I had surgery. I had heard a lot of horror stories from other people who had the same surgery, but he is very exacting. He told me what he required, and I had to do the physical therapy everyday for the first week. He was very thorough. I had zero pain after the surgery. I have never taken a pain killer, and I didn’t have to. He told me to use a Tens machine, so I used that. I have complete full range of motion. He was really wonderful. I was in pain for so l long and now I am completely pain free. His staff was great. He takes the time. He doesn’t have one hand on the door knob. He was on time, and his bedside manner was excellent. When I was seeing him, he was on some Olympic board. He was out of the country a lot. He has a couple of other doctors in his office one of whom was really good. I will use him again in the future.

My son injured his knee during a baseball game right before spring break. The school trainer was concerned he may have torn his ACL and suggested we see an Orthopaedic Surgeon. Although his office was extremely busy, Dr. Higgins and his staff fit us in for an appointment. He did a thorough examination, including x-rays, and confirmed he had sprained his knee. No tear! He put him on anti-inflammatory meds and gave him a knee brace to wear. Within a few days, he was feeling much better. Dr. Higgins has an excellent reputation, particularly when it comes to sports medicine, and I can see why. He is professional, competent and very down to earth His bedside manner is amazing, and all the staff we encountered were extremely friendly and helpful. We were able to enjoy our spring break knowing my son did not have a significant injury.